Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge – Chatham, Massachusetts

Sunset at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1944 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established to provide resting, nesting, and feeding habitat for migratory birds.

The Refuge consists of sand forming barrier islands off of the elbow of Cape Cod in Chatham. An additional 40 acres of Morris Island is also part of the Wildlife Refuge. In total the Refuge consists of 7,064 acres of ocean, freshwater and saltwater marshes, dunes, and freshwater ponds.

Permitted Activities

The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge offers the following activities:

Hiking and guided walks on the 3/4 mile trail on Morris Island

Sport fishing

Structured educational programs

Wildlife observation and photography

In addition to the birds who are the stars of Monomoy, other wildlife that can be observed include horseshoe crabs and gray seals. In fact, Monomoy is home to the largest haul-out site of gray seals on the Atlantic coast.